This invention relates generally to the field of processes and apparatuses for managing at least one network manageable device, and, more particularly, to processes and apparatuses for managing a plurality of printer devices by utilizing a proxy agent.
The Internet community has promulgated communication protocols and a network information structure to facilitate standardization of computer network management. The Common Management Information Protocol (CMIP) and the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) have both been developed to implement the task of network management. SNMP provides a means for a network administrator to manage entities and devices on a computer network, including the monitoring of network performance and status; controlling network operational parameters; and reporting, analyzing, and isolating faults. This network management is accomplished by transmitting information via one of three SNMP operations: GET, GETNEXT, and SET. The GET operation retrieves a value associated with an item of network information while the GETNEXT operation retrieves the value of a next item of network information. The SET operation changes the value of one or more items of network information. These SNMP requests for management information are typically issued by a management computer to an agent application located somewhere on the computer network. As used herein, the phrase xe2x80x9cmanagement informationxe2x80x9d is intended to refer to any unit (i.e., value) of information which would be useful in managing or administering a computer network. This can include static and dynamic information as well as information which is read only or read/write. The agent application receives the request and accesses the appropriate network information and sends a response back to the management computer. Typically, a computer network has a plurality of agents, each of which accesses the management information associated with a unique network device.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the Internet community has also created a hierarchial structure or tree 20 for standardizing the information associated network resources which can be accessed using SNMP-type protocols. A network resource can represent a computer, a printer device, a program, or a variable. Each network resource has a unique OBJECT IDENTIFIER which is a series of dotted decimal notations specifying an item""s location in the tree. For example, an enterprise item 22 has been defined which appears under a private item 24, the OBJECT IDENTIFIER for the enterprise item being xe2x80x9c1 (iso) .3 (org) .6 (dod) .1 (internet) .4 (private) .1 (enterprise)xe2x80x9d. Thus, each OBJECT IDENTIFIER comprises a series of sub-OBJECT IDENTIFIERS which are separated by periods. The Internet community has also defined, using Abstract Syntax Notation one (ASN.1), a Management Information Base-II (MIB) item 26 which has an OBJECT IDENTIFIER of 1.3.6.1.2.1. The MIB-2 item 26 defines a database comprising specific information about managed devices. A management application is used to request MIB-defined information about a managed device via a protocol such as CMIP or SNMP. For example, a printer MIB item 28 located below the MIB-2 item 26 has been defined in the document Request For Comments (RFC) 1759. The printer MIB item 28 contains numerous MIB items thereunder, each MIB item defining a unit of management information which is useful in the management of a printer and having its own OBJECT IDENTIFIER. As used herein, the generic phrase xe2x80x9cMIB itemxe2x80x9d is intended to refer to an location under the MIB-2 item 26 in the tree 20 which has a unique OBJECT IDENTIFIER associated therewith. Thus, the printer MIB item 28, the host resources MIB item 37, the input group item 30, the input entry item 38, and the input index item 39 are all examples of MIB items. For clarity of later discussion, the printer MIB item 28 will now be discussed in greater detail by way of example.
RFC 1759 classifies printer information into three general categories: descriptions, status, and alerts. Descriptions convey information about the configuration and capabilities of the printer and its various sub-units while status information relates to the operating state of the same. An alert is a representation of a reportable event in the printer, which are further classified as critical and non-critical. Examples of critical alerts can include xe2x80x9ctoner emptyxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9coutput bin fullxe2x80x9d while non-critical alerts can include xe2x80x9ctoner lowxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9coutput bin nearly fullxe2x80x9d.
The RFC 1759 associated with the printer MIB item 28 further defines an abstract model of a printer for logically organizing information within the printer MIB item 28. The printer model is described as comprising 13 sub-units each of which are associated with a specific physical sub-device of a printer or a logical process performed thereat. The 13 sub-units include: a general printer sub-unit, an input sub-unit, a media sub-unit, an output sub-unit, a finisher sub-unit, a marker sub-unit, a media path sub-unit, a system control sub-unit, an interface sub-unit, a channel sub-unit, an interpreter sub-unit, a console sub-unit, and an alert sub-unit.
By way of example, the input sub-unit and its relationship to the printer MIB item 28 will now be discussed. An input sub-unit is a printer mechanism which feeds media (i.e., the substance, such as paper, on which marking is to be done) into the printer. Thus, a printer can contain one or more input sub-units corresponding to such devices as fixed input bins or removable trays. The input sub-units are managed as a tabular, indexed collection of possible devices which are defined by an input group item 30 of the printer MIB item 28, as shown in FIG. 2. Each printer input sub-unit (e.g., such as a specific manual feed tray) preferably has information associated therewith according to each of the entries or MIB items which are defined under the input entry item 38, three exemplary entries being illustrated in FIG. 2 as an input index item 39, an input type item 40, and an input dimension unit item 41. The printer MIB item 28 also defines 12 other group items which generally correspond to each of the sub-units of the printer model. For example, the general group item 32 and the output group item 34, along with the OBJECT IDENTIFIER for each, are also illustrated in FIG. 2. The input group item 30 of the printer MIB item 28 is organized primarily by a table comprising 23 entries, each of which is a separate MIB item located under the input entry item 38. Some of these table entries or MIB items are mandatory (i.e., define information which must be supported by a printer device) and others are optional.
So as to effectively organize and reference the MIB items under the input entry item 38, the input entry item 38 defines two indexes for locating MIB information or values thereunder. The first index, or device index, is associated with or identifies a unique printer device. This index is defined by a Host Resources MIB item 37 (FIG. 1) as hrDeviceIndex. The second index, or associated index, defined by the input entry item 38 is the input index which appears as a separate MIB item under the input entry item 38, as illustrated at 39 of FIG. 2. The value of this index identifies unique input sub-units of a printer device. Further, this input index value defines a unique row of the input table and can be used to locate values for each of the other MIB items under the input entry item 38 (each of these MIB items forming a column of the input table). In other words, each input sub-unit of a specific printer device will have an input index value, an input type value, an input dimension unit value, and so on. While the above-described two index system has been illustrated herein with respect to the input entry item 38 for ease of discussion, other printer MIB groups incorporate similar indexing mechanisms for describing the printer MIB items thereunder.
While printer device vendors have begun providing capabilities within their printers to permit access to the units of management information defined by the RFC 1759 printer MIB, management of multiple printer devices is still often complex, inefficient, and time consuming because each of these printer devices must be individually queried from a management computer to access these units of management information. For example, if the administrator of a network is interested in simultaneously assessing the status of a plurality of printer devices on a computer network, a plurality of SNMP requests must be issued to the multiple agents which are responsible for each printer device. As such, there is a desire to provide improved processes and apparatuses for accessing management information associated with a plurality of network manageable devices by using a single proxy agent to retrieve the desired management information.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to obviate the above-described problems and shortcomings by providing processes and apparatuses for quickly and efficiently accessing management information associated with a plurality of network manageable devices.
It is another object of the present invention to provide processes and apparatuses for using a proxy agent to retrieve management information from a plurality of network manageable devices in data communication with a management computer.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide processes and apparatuses for displaying management information from a plurality of network manageable devices in data communication with a management computer.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a preferred process for managing one of a plurality of network manageable devices is provided, wherein each one of the plurality of network manageable devices has a unit of first management information associated therewith. A request is issued to a first computer from a second computer to access the unit of first management information associated with the one of the plurality of network manageable devices. A first data structure is created for storing a unit of first device information for each one of the plurality of network manageable devices with each unit of first device information identifying its respective network manageable device. The first data structure is searched for a unit of first device information associated with the one of the plurality of network manageable devices and the unit of first device information associated with the one of the plurality of network manageable devices is used to locate the unit of first management information associated with the one of the plurality of network manageable devices.
A computer system for implementing the above-described preferred process is also provided which comprises a first function in data communication with the first computer for creating a first data structure for storing a unit of first device information associated with each one of the plurality of network manageable devices. The computer system also comprises a second function for searching the first data structure for a unit of first device information associated with the one of the plurality of network manageable devices and a third function for using the unit of first device information associated with the one of the plurality of network manageable devices to locate the unit of first management information associated with the one of the plurality of network manageable devices. Having located the unit of first management information, this information can then be displayed on the second computer or modified, if so desired.